


Not Such a Bad Place to Be

by hurtcomfortcrap



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Caring Castiel, Caring!Sam, Torture, guilty!cas, hurt!Dean, shameless fluff, sort-of destiel if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-09
Updated: 2016-06-09
Packaged: 2018-07-14 01:37:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7146863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hurtcomfortcrap/pseuds/hurtcomfortcrap
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lucifer has plans for Dean, and they're going to be painfull. Can Sam save him, and maybe Cas, in time? AU from season 11 post 11x14 before 11x18, somewhere in that time frame. This is my first fanfiction so please review!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

All night he had been tossing and turning. The sheets seemed to reach out, tangling him in knots, causing him to over heat. The clock ticked on, hour after hour passing as his mind whirled around one thought: Cas. Why would he have said yes to Lucifer? Where was he now? Most importantly, was he okay? By 5:30 AM, he couldn't take the tossing and turning any longer. He got up, putting on a comfortable hoody and jeans, and went out to sit at the kitchen table, pulling out the laptop to start looking up more anti-possession info. But there was nothing new. He had clicked on every webpage, watched any stupid videos he could find, scrolled through frickin' blogs for gods sake, but he hadn't found squat on what to do to get Cas back.   
Sam walked in at 6:30, eyes still heavy with sleep, going immediately to the coffee pot, and pouring a mug for both himself and Dean.   
"Hey. What's going on?" Sam asked, taking in the bags under Dean's eyes, the unhealthy pallor of his skin, and most telling, the fact that he was wearing a hoodie. Dean never wore hoodies unless he was really out of it.   
"Nothing. Just wanted to get a head start on the research." Dean replied gruffly.   
"Sure." Sam replied, not fooled in the least. "Is this about Cas?" He asked.  
"What do you mean? The research? Of course it's about Cas. Everything we do should be about getting Cas back. Are you on that page. Cause I think you should be. We've got no idea of where he is, or if Lucifer is hurting him, or why he did what he did, or anything. So ya this is about Cas. Any more stupid questions?" Dean was practically shouting, and Sam could tell he was close to losing it.  
"Alright. It's about Cas. I've got a few more books I can try to look through. Let's get started."  
"Alright." Dean replied. They sat, sharing the table in silence for close to an hour. Dean got up at one point to get a beer, but besides that, the only sound was the click of the mouse and the turn of pages.   
"Well this is a touching scene. Two brothers, sharing a beer, so cute together, caught up in helping their best-est fwiend, little Cassy!"   
Both Sam and Dean jerked up, Dean's chair toppling over in his attempt to stand up so quickly. "Lucifer." Dean growled, a feral sound that would have given any one else chills, probably sent them running in the other direction.   
But Lucifer just smiled and winked. "Oh Dean, you always know just how to set my blood boiling."   
"What are you doing here? What do you want?" Sam asked, his hand reaching automatically for a knife or gun that he knew wasn't there. Curse Lucifer for showing up so unexpectedly, when they were so unprepared.  
"Well actually, Sammy, I'm not here for you." Lucifer pointed a finger at Sam, then slowly shifted the finger over, until it rested on Dean. "I'm here for him."  
Dean and Sam spoke at the same time. "Me?" "Him?" It was Sam who spoke louder, "What the Hell do you want with him?" Sam shifted his body so it was closer to Dean, trying to place himself in front, but Lucifer flicked a wrist and sent Sam flying across the room, smashing into the cupboards. Dean instinctively tried to move towards him, but Lucifer clenched a hand, and Dean was frozen in place, trying desperately to move, but his muscles not responding to his commands. Lucifer walked leisurely over to him, an arrogant smirk on his face.  
"I think we ought to go somewhere a little more, intimate, don't you Dean." As Lucifer said this, he caressed one hand over Dean's face, a gentle touch that made Dean's skin crawl. And then the hand was pulled back, and then forward, barreling towards Dean's face. There was a flash of bright white light and a blinding pain, and then everything was dark.


	2. Chapter 2

Dean woke with his shirt off and his body pressed against a cold, hard slab. He opened his eyes slowly, head aching. He tried to remember where he was, what happened, but the pounding in his head was too much. He tried to raise a hand to rub his face, hoping to clear way the fuzzy feeling, but his arm was jerked to a halt quickly by a heavy chain. Jerking his arms and legs, Dean realized all 4 of his limbs were chained down. Quickly, he tried to lift his head to get a better idea of what was happening, but a heavy hand on his chest stopped him. Dean's gaze locked onto two familiar, blue eyes, that seemed to swim in compassion. "Cas?" He asked, still confused by the blow to the head. But suddenly, the eyes shifted from compassionate to cruel, the mouth curling into a smile of cold amusement, forming the words, "Guess again."  
"Lucifer." Dean growled.   
"Got there in the end, didn't you Dean-o."  
"What the Hell do you want?" Dean said, echoing Sam's comment from earlier.  
"Well Dean, I'm glad you asked. I've been getting pretty tired of waiting for Amara to make contact, come out a play ya know. I'm feeling real excited about taking her on, see, I have the power of Heaven behind me, as well as a few, umm, shall we say choice objects from the angels weapons closet. But unfortunately, Amara hasn't been cooperating with me, hasn't been responding to my prayers. But, lucky for me, I have an ace in the whole. You! Amara is so connected to you, she just loves you so much-God knows why. So I'm going to use you to get to her."  
"How?" Dean snarled, although he already had a pretty good idea of where this was going.  
"Well Dean," Lucifer said, "You're going to have to pray to her. That's all. She'll come if called I'm sure."  
"No." Dean exclaimed. "She'll kill you. She'll kill Cas. I'm not going to let that happen. You have no way of beating her. You think you have enough firepower, I can promise you, you don't. She'll destroy you without even blinking and eye. And I'm not gonna let that happen to Cas."  
"Dean, Dean, Dean. You will pray to her, one way or another." His voice changed from teasing to cold, a hard voice that caused Dean to flinch away, knowing exactly what Lucifer meant. But he knew that he could not call Amara to him. Could not condemn Cas to death. Lucifer leaned over the table, grabbing Dean's chin, forcing him to lock eyes. Dean grunted and tried to look away, tried to rip his arms free, but Lucifer just held tighter, his grip stiff enough to leave bruises. "You really aren't going to pray to her yet, are you? Well then, I guess we better get started."  
He reached behind him and when his hand returned to Dean's field of vision, he saw a serrated knife. Dean sighed and locked his eyes onto a point on the ceiling. He had no idea what would call Amara to him, he tried not to even think about her, but he also resolved himself to not cry out. He would not make a sound, no matter what Cas- or rather Lucifer- did.   
Lucifer trailed the tip of his knife along Dean's bare skin, starting at his cheek, traveling down to his navel. Dean shivered at the touch of cool metal, clenching his cheeks then hoping that Lucifer hadn't seen his reaction. Of course, he had, and Lucifer bared his teeth in a feral grin. "Oh Dean. We're going to have so much fun together." And with that, he slipped the knife a centimeter into Dean's skin, then traced a long line of fire down his stomach. Dean breath caught, but he remained silent, jaw clenched against the pain. Lucifer removed the blade, then pushed it back in, tracing pattern after pattern up, down, and around Dean's stomach and chest. Slowly, he moved lower and lower, until he reached Dean's thigh. Without any warning, he rammed the blade into Dean's thigh. Just as quickly, he pulled it back out, and that was almost more painful, the serrated edges catching on the torn flaps of his skin. He let out a strangled gasp, biting his lip so hard it bled in his efforts not to scream. "Almost got you there, didn't I." Lucifer laughed. And without any more pause than that, he continued trailing the knife down Dean's legs, cutting through the tough fabric of his jeans, leaving faint trails of blood and pain. He reached Dean's bare feet, tapping each of his toes with the blade, watching with amusement as Dean curled his toes inward, trying to avoid the touch.   
Dean knew from experience that the feet were one of the most painful places to be cut, and he wasn't looking forward to this. Lucifer made the first cut, and it burned more than anything else had. The little slits Lucifer cut into each foot were the most painful things he had endured in a long time, but still he kept his noises to a minimum, just small gasps and slight groans. "If you want... to make... me scream..., you're going... to have... to do more... than knife cuts." Dean croaked out, his words interrupted by little gasps and pauses to catch his breath.   
The cutting of his feet paused, and Lucifer's face came back into his field of view. "How right you are Dean." Lucifer exclaimed, all too happily. "Would you mind terribly, holding this for a moment." He asked Dean, and then rammed the knife into Dean's shoulder. Dean couldn't hold back his cry that time, although he choked it off within a second. Both Lucifer and Dean looked around, trying to see if Amara would show, but no figure appeared in the room. Dean sighed in relief, and Lucifer looked slightly annoyed, but he just turned away slightly, leaving the knife in place, before coming back with a pair of pliers.   
Dean shut his eyes for a moment, trying to ignore the feeling of despair that was overcoming him. Lucifer reveled in Dean's obvious discomfort, before gently taking one hand and singling out a finger. Dean clenched his jaw, and tried to tune everything out, as Lucifer slowly, painstakingly, removed the finger nail on his index finger. Lucifer continued, taking off three more on his right hand, and two on his left hand. Then he broke Dean's ring finger, and thumb.Through it all, Dean remained as silent as possible, although his bottom lip was quickly becoming unrecognizable from being chewed on so much.   
Lucifer was clearly becoming dissatisfied by Dean's lack of response, so without warning, he pulled the knife from Dean's shoulder, lining up his middle and ring finger, and holding the knife over with the clear intention of cutting off a couple of fingers. "Please. Wait." Dean gasped. Lucifer punched him once in the face, once in the ribs. "You know what I need you to do Dean." But Dean simply shook his head slowly and shut his eyes once more. The knife flashed, and the very tips of Dean's fingers came off. The pain was astounding. Worse than all the other cuts and bruises he had ever received. But he stayed silent, distancing himself from the pain, trying to convince himself it wasn't his hand, weren't his fingers. And then he passed out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay sorry this chapter is super short. I didn't really have much for this part. Sorry

Sam was frantic. Dean had been taken right in front of him. He had been able to see Lucifer disappearing with Dean, but had been unable to move his body after the blow to his head. He had forced himself upright, after about 10 minutes, but he knew that at that point, he was too late. He had to get Dean back. What was he going to do. There was only one person who might have been able to help him: Crowley. Performing the summoning charm was simple, he had done it many times before, and when Crowley showed up, looking bored and annoyed, Sam was about ready to snap.   
"Crowley, listen." He started. "You know I hate you and I would never work with you if I didn't have to, but Lucifer took Dean, and it didn't sound like he was going to be nice to him. We have to get him back. I know you hate Lucifer so I figured maybe you'd want to help me. If not, I'll make a deal, I don't-  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow your role Moose. I'll help. I'll do it just for the satisfaction of screwing over whatever Lucifer has planned."  
"Oh. Good. Okay great. So we need to find a way to banish Lucifer from Cas's body. I know that sounds impossible, but we need to figure it out. It's the only way because we know we can't kill him."  
"I may have a way to do that. But... we'll need my mother. Since I don't want anything to do with that bitch, you get to go convince her to help. I'll get all the other things we need. Ciao." With that, Crowley disappeared.   
"Typical." Sam mumbled. But it was a start. And if Crowley came through, he'd have both Dean and Cas back. He just hoped he got there in time.


	4. Chapter 4

Dean woke up because of the throbbing in his hand, leg, and shoulder. But mostly his hand. It was as if someone was repeatedly smashing his hand with a sledgehammer. His eyes fluttered open slowly, one of them fighting against massive swelling and an obvious black eye. As his eyes opened fully, Lucifers face came into focus above him. He almost groaned, but instead he forced himself to croak out, "And here I thought I'd seen the last of your ugly mug."  
"That's the Dean I know. Keep that fire burning Dean, that's what makes you so entertaining. And, of course, I don't want to put you out to soon. Still need you, at least for a little longer."  
"Yeah I wouldn't want to disappoint you." Dean replied sarcastically. For the first time he noticed that there was something else attached to his head, chest, and arms. They were wires. Shit. Lucifer was gonna electrocute him. Dean started to breath a little harder, his pupils dilating in fear. Shit shit shit shit shit. Lucifer looked down at him a licked his lips, savoring every second of this reaction. What a sick fucker this guy was. Dean breathed in and out, taking big breaths, slowing his heart. Trying to ignore what he knew was about to happen.   
"Dean, we could end this right now if you want. Just call Amara, get her to come here, and it will all be over." Lucifer actually sounded gentle. Kind. That was weird. Dean shook his head, bit his lip, and got ready for the pain. When Lucifer flipped the switch, Dean's whole body tensed, shaking, muscles contracting. It was as if he was being burned alive. Lucifer watched gleefully as Dean shuddered and shook. After a full 30 seconds, he turned the electricity off and watched as Dean slumped against the table, all his muscles lax, breathing heavily, long lashes fluttering. "Feel like saying a prayer Dean?" Lucifer asked teasingly. "No? Then I suppose we'd better keep going." The electricity came back on, and Dean was left shuddering helplessly against the unforgiving chains.   
When Lucifer finally removed the electrodes, Dean stilled jerked against the chains, his muscles no longer responding to his brain, simply spasming on their own. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a mumbled groan. "What was that Dean? Did you want to tell me something? Maybe you're ready to call for Amara to save you?"  
Dean breathed in and out, trying to calm his muscles and brain. There was only one thought in his brain. He could not allow Cas to be killed by Amara. Tears filled his eyes, but he blinked them away, trying not to show Lucifer any weakness. "Cas. I don't know if you're in there. I don't know if you can hear me."  
"Cas isn't home right now Dean. Remember, he said yes to me. Because he felt worthless. You really do know how to damage your friends don't you Dean. You just used Cas, any time you needed help, but you never helped him. So little Cas didn't know what to do but to say yes to being possessed by the Devil. Nice work Dean."  
"Cas please. If you can hear me, I want you to know... I'm so so sorry. You are so important to me Cas. I never meant to make you feel worthless, or expendable, because you are so so great." Lucifer's arm twitched. He looked down at it, his face contorting into one of anger.  
"Looks like your little heart to heart with Cas is having an effect. Don't worry, I'll shut you up soon enough." With a snarl, Lucifer reached behind him and grabbed a red hot iron from the coals of a burning fire, and smashed it against Dean's chest. Dean nearly screamed, would have screamed had Lucifer not caught him between breaths. As it was, he let out a strangled gasp, almost a yelp, and then clenched his teeth to prevent any more noises. Lucifer removed the heat, placed it back in the fire, then grabbed another iron and pressed it even harder to Dean's chest. Dean could feel his skin bubbling off. He wondered if this is what his mom felt like as she was burned alive. But the thought came to him distantly. Vaguely, he realized he was trying to speak, "Cas. I'm sorry. I need you. I need you." But the words sounded wrong, as if someone else was speaking, words slurring together. As Lucifer torched his skin over and over, Dean held onto the fact that he would never again hurt Cas like this. And then he passed out.


	5. Chapter 5

Sam hesitated before he knocked on the door of a ramshackle hut in the middle of the woods. He had followed a trail of signs that indicated witch activity. Rowena had been busy, killing cows, making peoples eyes bleed, and the other unsavory tasks she did. Sam had made it here, to this sinister place in the middle of South Dakota of all places, but now he hesitated because, well, Rowena had tricked him in the past. But he knew he had to do this for Dean. So, raising his hand, he gave three sharp raps on the door.  
"So, Sammy, ya decided to knock after all? I thought perhaps, ya'd changed your mind when ya stood there for so long pansy-in' around. Do come in. What can I do for ya?"  
"Listen Rowena, I'm not here to make small talk. I need your help getting Dean back and banishing Lucifer, at least for a little while. Crowley said we need your help with some spell, so please help me out here, and you can get your vengeance on Lucifer for, well, killing you."  
"So, Fergus has a plan to get rid of the Devil. An' he needs his dear Mummy to come help. But what do I get out of this. I'm not just goin' to waste valuable spell ingredients for vengeance."  
"What do you want Rowena?" Sam asked exasperated.   
"Well darling, what say you help me out with a little quest to get a special ingredient I need, after all this is done, and I'll help you and Fergus as much as I possibly can."  
"Fine." Sam growled. "Let's go then. We've got to get back to the bunker quickly."  
"Waiting on you Sammy." Rowena drawled as she swept past him towards the door. Sam sighed, shook his, head, and followed after her.

***

 

"So, what exactly happened to Dean, hmm?" Rowena asked Sam as she sat delicately at the table in the bunker.   
"Lucifer took him, I don't know why, and I don't want to talk about it. So just shut up and wait in silence." Sam replied tersely. They waited for a while, Rowena letting out little sighs that nearly drove Sam mad, but luckily, just as Sam was about to snap, Crowley showed up, holding what appeared to be the severed head of an octopus, and covered in small cuts and bruises.  
"Thank God." Sam muttered. "Your mother is insufferable."   
"Tell me about it. But I have everything we need. All that's left to do is find where Lucifer is keeping Dean. Mother, if you would be so kind, we could really use a tracking spell right now."  
"Oh o' course Fergus. Anything for my little boy." Crowley rolled his eyes, muttered something under his breath about pigs and juggling, and walked into the other room.  
Rowena gathered her materials, and Sam watched as her eyes rolled back into her head and she sought to find where Dean was kept. "He's in Ohio, some warehouse in the backwoods up there. Why anyone would go to Ohio is beyond me. But that's where he is."  
"Great. Let's hit the road. Crowley, you can explain the plan on the way. We have to get there before it's too late.


	6. Chapter 6

Dean awoke once more to his arms being unchained from his sides. He realized his feet were free too, and attempted to swing off the table to attack Lucifer. But all he gained was a hard smack to the face, and his feet stinging from where they hit the ground on his cuts. Lucifer gripped his chin and laughed down at him as Dean's head lolled from side to side. He had no strength left at all, and as much as it pained him to admit, the only reason he wasn't on the ground right now was because Lucifer was holding up all his weight. It wasn't exactly the situation he wanted to be in. Lucifer dragged him over to the middle of the room, and chained his hands above his head. As he was pulled upright, Dean groaned as his shoulder, ribs, and pretty much every part of his body burned with fiery pain.   
When he was suspended, hanging with just his toes touching the ground, Lucifer stood in front of him, his face showing none of the playful humor that he had used the past few sessions. Now, his face was all cold stone, sharp angles, and dead eyes that struck fear into Dean's heart. "Dean, I've been playing nice. But that little stunt you pulled, trying to get Cas to take control, that's not going to happen again. You're my little bitch, and when I'm through, you're going to be begging to pray to Amara." Lucifer began pummeling his face and stomach, his fists felt like sledgehammers smashing into Dean's unprotected skin. He felt two ribs crack, then one break, as he struggled to simply hold onto consciousness.   
When Lucifer stepped back, he was breathing heavily, sweat peppering his forehead, and a look of feral madness on his face. He turned and held something up in front of Dean's face. "Now we're going to get this show on the road Dean-o." Dean groaned as he realized it was a whip. He wanted to make some comment about how out dated that was, but he barely had the strength, or the breath, to move his lips. Instead, he just clenched his teeth, shut his eyes, and waited. He heard the whip cracking back and forth, before suddenly, there was a sharper crack, and a line of fire tore it's way down his back. There was another, and another, and over and over again, Lucifer peeled the skin from his back with the hard leather. Lucifer swung his arm back to deliver an eleventh strike, when all of a sudden, he heard a woman's voice, chanting enochian, calling for his banishment.   
Ha, that witch bitch can't be serious, he thought, but even as he started to hone in on where the sound was coming from, his vessel was consumed in burning light, burning pain, the words circling him, pushing him and pulling him. The Book of the Damned. Shit. And with that final thought, he was ripped away from Castiel's vessel. Sam watched as Lucifer's form was pulled away from Cas, watched as the spell was completed, and Cas's form was left crumpled on the ground, the room suddenly dark in the absence of the spell's light. And then, his eyes shifted to Dean, and he nearly crumpled to the ground.


	7. Chapter 7

In the end, it had been easier than he'd expected. As he drove the Impala at 15 miles over the speed limit, eating up the miles to Ohio, Crowley had explained that Rowena needed to perform a spell from the Book of the Damned. "As I'm sure you've already translated and memorized all the spells, it shouldn't be a problem for you mother. I have everything you need in the trunk."  
"Ah, you mean the spell of banishment. That's what the octopus head was for. Yes that one's actually quite easy. I'm surprised ya didn't come to me sooner Samuel, if you'd really wanted Cas back."  
"Great ya you're so much smarter than us, thanks Rowena. What else do we need to do Crowley?" Sam grumbled, keeping his eyes focused on the road so as not to kill Rowena.  
"I assume that Lucifer will be rather busy with Dean, so Moose just needs to put up some warding so that he will have a harder time hearing and finding dearest mummy here."  
"Oh Fergus, you do care." Rowena replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.   
"Great, great, you two can hash it out when this is all done and Lucifer is gone." With that, Sam put his foot down and picked up the pace, desperate to get to Dean in time. When they reached the warehouse, Sam had spray painted a few symbols around Rowena in the entrance hall of the building. Crowley had hung back, knowing that Lucifer would sense his presence quickly, and Rowena had begun the spell. As it continued, Sam peered through a gap in the door, his gaze focused on Lucifer, and he watched as Lucifer was banished. At least Rowena came through this time. But when the light cleared, he saw Dean. There was so much blood, so little movement, that Sam thought he must be dead. He rushed towards Dean, pausing only briefly to check for Cas's pulse. Once satisfied that Cas was alive, he sprinted to Dean's side, nearly fainting from relief at seeing his chest move slightly up and down.   
He quickly lowered Dean to the floor, cringing as Dean let out a moan of pain. "Dean. Dean. Hey, hey, hey. I need you to look at me. I need you to stay awake okay. Listen, Lucifer's gone, we're gonna get you out of here. Stay with me alright."  
Dean's lips moved trying to form words. They came out as whispers, and Sam leaned close to hear what he was saying. "Where's Cas?"   
"Cas is right here. He's okay. I'm gonna go check on him okay. Stay awake. Stay with me." Sam moved to Cas's side, and was relieved to see his eyes fluttering open. "Cas? Buddy, hey I need you to stand up okay. Can you walk?"   
"Yes, yes I think I'm okay. But... Oh God. Dean. What have I done." Cas bolted up, wobbling as his head spun and his legs nearly gave out. Sam caught him, grabbed his shoulders, and shook him a bit.   
"Cas, this wasn't you. You were possessed, and nobody blames you. But I need you to keep it together so we can get Dean out of here. Just walk next to me and we'll get back to the bunker alright." Cas nodded, and while he seemed shaken and distant, he stood on his own and seemed at least alert enough to move on his own. Sam turned away and moved back to Dean, who was still mumbling under his breath, "Cas, where's Cas..." Sam scooped Dean up in his arms, groaning a bit at the weight, but still careful not to jostle Dean any more than necessary. He carried him bridal style so as not to aggravate the burns on his chest or whip marks on his back. Dean's head settled into the crook of Sam's collar bone as he carried him out of the dark room into the setting sun.   
"Crowley, I need you to get us back to the bunker please. Rowena, I'll square up with you later. I need to help Dean first, but I'll go on your stupid quest in a bit, just contact me later."  
"What no hospital?" Crowley asked?   
"How would we explain this at a hospital. Most of his wounds seem to be more superficial than anything else, other than the stab wounds. I can patch this up at the bunker, if you just get us back there. And I'll get him to a hospital if need be." Sam yelled.  
"Alright, alright." Crowley muttered. "Geez, so touchy." But he raised his hand and with a snap of his fingers, Sam, Dean, and Cas were back at the bunker. Crowley had vanished, and Sam figured he'd have to deal with him too, soon enough, but for now, all the mattered was Dean.  
"Cas, look at me. You need to help me with Dean. Just get me ice packs and the first aid kit okay." Cas stared back at him, still apparently very out of it, but then his gaze shifted down to Dean's bloody face, and he moved toward the kitchen to get supplies. Sam carried Dean to his bedroom, careful of any excess movement, and gently set Dean on his side on the bed. Cas returned quickly with the first aid kit, but he looked about ready to pass out, so Sam sent him to go sleep in his room. He just hoped Cas would be ready to heal Dean soon.  
With Cas gone, he busied himself cleaning, stitching, and bandaging all of Dean's cuts and bruises. The worst were the whip marks, and the burns. Sam nearly puked when he had to clean out the burns, watching the alcohol make contact with the bubbled skin, but he steeled himself, and kept working. He had been right, most of the cuts were superficial. Still it took nearly and hour and a half, especially when he had to set Dean's fingers. He couldn't believe that Lucifer had broken so many, and cut the tips off two of them. The damage was horrifying.   
Dean, thankfully, remained out of it for the whole process, shifting and moaning a bit, but other than that, completely zoned out. When Sam finished, over half of Dean's body was covered in bandages, and his fingers were basically unusable. Sam shook Dean a little, to check that his brain was functioning, and when Dean opened his eyes, murmured "Sammy", and then fell asleep immediately, Sam figured that was good enough. He sat down in a chair by Dean's bed, turned off the lights, and fell asleep a short time later, holding Dean's arm to assure himself that Dean really was there.


	8. Chapter 8

Dean woke on a soft bed, with his aches and pains throbbing, but a whole lot less than they had been before. His eyes fluttered open and he tried to sit up, only to find a warm hand on his chest softly pushing him back to the pillow. He looked up to find Sam looking down at him with kind, tired eyes. "Hey, Dean, you gotta rest man. Be careful." Dean winced as the movement tugged at his ribs, his back, and the burns along his chest, settled back against the pillow, and went back to sleep.   
When Cas came into the room a while later, his hair messy from sleep, he found Sam sitting watchfully by Dean's bed. Cas's eyes filled with tears at the sight of Dean, so fragile, covered in bandages. He knew this was all his fault, and he would never forgive himself. "Sam." He choked out, "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I-I failed you. I failed Dean."  
"Cas no. Listen, this is not your fault. I know that, and Dean knows that. Do you know the only thing he was worried about was you in that warehouse. He kept asking me where you were, and if you were okay. He really cares about you alright. This isn't your fault."  
"But-I should never have said yes to Lucifer. I did this. And now I can't heal him. At least not right away. My grace was used up by Lucifer and whatever spell you guys performed to get him out of me. It needs time to rebuild."  
"Okay, that's alright, how long do you think?" Sam asked, trying to remain calm.  
"Maybe a week, maybe 10 days." Cas replied softly, feeling like the most useless angel in all creation.  
Both men jumped as a weak voice croaked from the bed, "Good, you guys can take care of me for a while." Dean laughed as he spoke. He had woken up to hear the end of the conversation, and was feeling giddy at having Cas and Sam back, and at being on a comfortable bed with barely any pain. Sam and Cas both rushed to his bedside, Sam smiling, Cas looking devastated.  
"Dean... I'm so sorry." Cas whispered softly, reaching out a hand to press against Dean's damaged cheek.  
"No, Cas, listen, it's my fault. I should have never made you feel like you were worthless. You are so important to me...and to Sam. And I- I need you." Dean's was already fighting to keep his eyes open, his energy spent in just this short conversation. But the look in Cas's eyes was worth every second. Cas looked so happy, so full of life, that Dean couldn't help but smile and chuckle, before sighing happily and going back to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

The next time that Dean awoke, it was to a parched mouth and a grumbling stomach. Cas was sitting by his bed, reading a book, looking content. "Cas..." He croaked, before dissolving in a coughing fit that hurt every part of his body. Cas ran his fingers through Dean's hair until the coughing fit subsided, before grabbing a glass of water, lifting Dean's head slightly so he could drink his fill. When Dean was done, Cas removed his hand, but Dean's slight frown spoke volumes about something Dean would never say aloud, so Cas kept carding his fingers through Dean's hair. The touch was soft and kind, something Dean had felt all too little in his life.  
Sam walked into the room carrying a tray of soup. At the door, he paused and smiled at the scene before him. It was wonderful to see Dean so relaxed and happy. He knew he still needed to help Rowena with whatever he dumb quest was, but really, this was worth whatever she would ask of him. "Dean, time to eat." He said calmly, trying not to disrupt the tranquility in the room. Dean looked down at his hands, realized there was absolutely no way he was going to be able to hold any utensils in his mangled hands, and shook his head.  
"I'm not really hungry, thanks." A loud growl from his stomach quickly proved what a lie that was, and Dean scowled at his stomach for the betrayal. Sam and Cas both laughed, and Cas gently pushed Dean upright, stacking pillows behind him to take the pressure off his ribs. "How am I supposed to eat that Sam?" Dean asked, knowing where this was heading and not liking it one bit.  
"We can do 'Hear comes the airplane' Dean. Remember how you wanted me to do that? Time to show me how it's done." Sam was barely concealing a smirk. Dean was about ready to punch him, had he had the strength to raise his arms.   
"No freakin' way am I doing that. Absolutely not." Dean growled. Cas looked between Sam and Dean, and realized this wasn't going to end well unless he stepped in.  
"Dean, look how about you take ten bites, and then we'll be done, and you can sleep, and we won't bug you." Cas said reasonably. Dean just shook his head, refusing to stoop to that little dignity. "Fine. Have it your way." With that, he reached up to Dean's jaw, pressed on the pressure point there to make Dean open his mouth, and let Sam push the spoon through Dean's open lips. "See Dean. We can do this the easy way or the hard way." Dean sighed heavily, then winced as the deep breath hurt his ribs. But he didn't really want to be force fed, so he slowly opened his mouth the tiniest bit.   
"Dean." Sam said, "More than that." Dean opened his mouth another centimeter, and Sam was able to feed him a bite.   
"Cas you better get your grace back soon man 'cause this is definitely not happening again." Dean said after swallowing the next bite. Sam and Cas shared a glance that definitely meant we'll see about that, before continuing him to feed him bite after bite. Dean got more and more tired, and after ten bites, he refused to open his mouth any more. "That was the deal, remember?" He muttered sleepily. "Can I sleep now?"  
Cas and Sam shared another look before Sam set down the bowl on the nightstand, next to Dean's picture of himself and Mary. Then both Cas and Sam climbed into bed with Dean, sandwiching him in their warmth, although careful not to hurt him. While Dean struggled at first, he soon resigned himself to the situation, and as he felt himself slipping from consciousness, with his giant brother on one side, and his very own angel running his hands through his hair on the other, Dean thought, maybe this isn't such a bad place to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so that's it. I hope you liked it, even though it was just dean!whump. Please review!


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